Nakobe Dean Is Back On The IR With a Lisfranc Sprain

Nakobe Dean has not had the best start to his career with the Eagles. He sat out most of last season. It looked like this year would finally be his chance. But a week 1 injury cost him a trip to the IR, and 4 missed games. His play was met with mixed reviews after he came back. And now, after suffering a Lisfranc Sprain in Sunday's win vs the Cowboys, he is heading back to the IR. The news was first reported by Mike Garafolo.

It is his second trip to the IR this year. In the past, that would have ruled him out for the season. But recent rule changes allow players to come off the IR twice in one season now. The question is will he be able to return? If the injury requires surgery, it will be season-ending. The recovery time is usually multiple months, with no weight being put onto the foot. We will have to wait to see if it needs surgery to know his status for the rest of the year.

In his stead, it will likely be Nicholas Morrow and Zach Cunningham again. You could argue both of them have played better than Dean anyway. But the Eagles have hoped Dean would be a big part of their future. It will be hard for him to improve, or get into a rhythm though, when he is not on the field. We saw what Dean is capable of in College. While he may be a bit undersized, he was consistently involved in plays at Georgia, as well as being a team leader. The Eagles hoped they would get that guy, he just has not had a chance to show it yet in Philly.

Injuries continue to be an issue for the Eagles a year after they had great injury luck. If he is going to miss the rest of the season, he'd be the second defensive start to suffer such a fate. Luckily the bye week might help some other guys like Cam Jurgens and Bradley Roby get back. But it looks like they will be without Dean for the rest of 2023.

If you were told before the season that the Eagles would go into the bye week 8-1, everyone would be over the moon. Yet here we are, 8 weeks in, with the Eagles 8-1, and there is some trepidation. The secondary has been struggling, and people aren't happy with the playcalling from Brian Johnson. And there are fair reasons to be upset about those two things. But heading into week 10, they are the only 8-1 team.

Are the Eagles flawed? Sure. But what team isn't flawed this season? The 49ers? They are on a 3-game losing streak and Brock Purdy is getting exposed of late. The Cowboys? They also have 3 losses and the Eagles just beat them. The Chiefs? Outside of Travis Kelce, they have no reliable weapons and it has led to their offense being almost pedestrian. The Bills? They lost their 4th game of the season this past week. The Lions and Seahawks got crushed by the Ravens. And those Ravens may be the closest thing to perfect so far this year, but even they have 2 bad losses through week 9.

So yes, the Eagles have issues, but so does every team. Look around and every winning team could complain about ugly wins. The important thing is the Eagles have the most ugly wins and just one ugly loss.

So why do we get so worried about the Eagles' flaws and ignore that every team is flawed? It's natural because we watch the Eagles every week so we notice it more. We aren't seeing the Chiefs and 49ers as much to pick up on those flaws. But they are there. And so even with the flaws the Eagles have, we can still call them the best team in the league.

Brown has a real case for MVP. They won't give him it, but he should at least be mentioned. He is arguably the best player on what is inarguably the best team in the league so far. Tyreek Hill is the only WR with greater production, but clearly, it hasn’t helped his team quite as much.

ESPN Power Rankings

This is something we don’t talk about enough. They keep finding ways to win games. Last year the Eagles did not get tested very much. This year they have been tested every week, and keep passing that test. Being able to pull out close wins is a skill. And at least so far, they are better at it than anyone else.

NFL Network Power Rankings

Putting the Ravens over the Eagles is fair enough. I don't agree with it, but I can see the argument. The Ravens have looked better the last couple of weeks. Based solely on recent play, the Ravens are the closest thing to perfect we have in the NFL. Their defense is shutting teams down, and their offense is crushing teams. But go back to that Steelers game, or the Colts game, and they have issues too. Still, they are a fantastic team.

The Athletic's Power Rankings

Huirts is clearly hurt. But he is also playing some of the best Football of his career. He isn't running, but he is money-throwing the ball out of the pocket. If he is going to throw the ball this well, with a 70% completion rate and multiple TDs every week, do they need him to be running the ball like he did last year? If anything this is a reason to be excited for the future. It's proof he is way more than just a running QB.

CBS Sports Power Rankings

The good thing about this tough schedule coming up, is the Eagles have put themselves in a position to weather it. They can afford to drop a game or 2, and still stay at the top of the NFC. And other than the Lions their competitors have equally and sometimes harder schedules going forward. The 49ers, Cowboys, and Seahawks actually have a harder schedule based on winning %.

USA Today Power Rankings

Thanks for your input, Florio. The typical great insight. Should we expect more from the guy who put this tweet out though?

Pro Football Talk's Power Rankings 

The pass defense is absolutlery an issue. One the return of Bradley Roby will hopefully fix, at least a little bit. Once Roby got out there the Secondary looked great and shut down the Rams, who were second in the league in passing yards at that point. The injuries have forced players like Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown into positions where they are asked to cover guys one-on-one. Not a recipe for success. Stability at the Slot would also help those guys. Brown is out of position at the Nickel Corner. Has he been good? No. But it's also unfair not to expect him to step into an unnatural position and cover guys like Cee Dee Lamb.

Bleacher Reports Power Rankings

This hits the crux of why the Eagles are where they are. Good lines on both sides of the ball will take you are long way. And the Eagles have an elite group on both lines. The Eagles are top 5 in run block win rate, pass block win rate, run stop win rate, and pass rush win rate. And they are the only team that can say that. Just that alone is going to make you a Super Bowl contender. Add in a top 5 QB and elite skill players, and the Eagles look like the best team in the league despite other issues.

Sports Illustrated Power Rankings